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Saturday, June 9, 2012

Eight Great Ways to Set a Place for Dad!

Do you have a man in your life? One that is King of the Castle, Lord of the Manor, Master of his Domain -- Dad of course! It doesn't matter if you are serving Eggs Benedict, homemade chili or take-out pizza, you can still set a special table for dad that reflects his good taste. He picked you didn't he?

I've put together eight great ways to set a special place for dad!

Each brings to focus, Dad's personality, hobbies, passions or perhaps his retirement plans :) Hosting a Father's Day brunch, luncheon or dinner? Make each Dad's place at the table unique to him!

Handy Man Dad

He takes care of your 'To Do List' . . . now take care of him.

If you are worried about your table smelling like 'the garage' -- wipe all the tools & cording down with 'wet wipes'. :)

1. Cover the table with a tablecloth and use a piece of lumber (cut to length for the runner). Rob dad's tool box for an assortment of tools and nails or screws (wipe down with 'wet wipes' if needed). Recycled bottle candles add a nice touch.

2. Use an extension cord as a charger. Add a few tools of choice -- Swiss Army Knife, flashlight, toothpicks -- and flatware (just in case). His favorite beer in a koozie would be a welcome site too.

4. Top the platter with a gorgeous Core Root Plate - or any plate worthy of his artistry as a master craftsman.

Use a fitting for a napkin ring -- give that tool box a once over. Use a 'shop rag' for a napkin.

Dad, the Outdoor Man

Does he find an excuse to wear camouflage, even during the off season? Set the table in his 'comfort zone'.

Outdoor Man Layering Detail :::

1. Cover the table with a tablecloth. Decorate the center of the table with robe, antlers and burlap wrapped potted plants or flowers. Use a rustic tray as a charger plate. Add the details - stoneware beer stein, flask, toothpick holder, camouflage napkin (use a bandanna).

Your Mariner Man

The man loves his boat, or perhaps he dreams of sailing away with you at his side one day. Let him know he will always be the captain of the family with a special place at the table.

Now are you ready to buy a boat?

Mariner Man Layering Detail :::

1. Cover the table with a tablecloth and top with netting. Decorate the center of the table with driftwood or ghostwood, and a sailboat if available. Form a circle from a length of rope (approx 2 yards) as a 'charger'. You might also want to tuck in a 'pearl' -- a small glass ornament.

4. Top with a starfish -- letting dad know he's the STAR of the family. The napkin ring is simply a knotted piece of cotton rope.

Add Special Touches :::

Write or type out clever sayings that follow your table's theme. Shop your house for nautical accessories or borrow from a friend. Life preserver & sail boat from Hobby Lobby. Message in a bottle was created for my son's 4th birthday Pirate Party. Resin starfish tops an accent plate.

Sports Enthusiast Dad

What's dad's favorite sports team? I bet you have a lot of memorabilia around the house don't you? Put it to use as decorations for Dad's special day and serve tailgate food such as hot dogs & hamburgers.

Sports Enthusiast Layering Detail :::

1. Cover the table with a tablecloth. Use a jersey as a place mat. Decorate the center of the table with whatever sports fan memorabilia you have available (can you tell my husband is a big Texas Rangers fan?). Use a glove to hold the rolled up napkin & flatware and of course a stadium cup -- this is no time to be fancy!

Western or Cowboy Dad

Beyond the bar-be-ques, you can set a beautifully appropriate table fitting for your gentleman cowboy.

John Wayne approved.

Sports Enthusiast Layering Detail :::

1. Cover the table with a tablecloth. Use narrow lengths of burlap for two runners down each length of the table. A bull whip becomes a 'charger' (use a length of rope if you do not own a bull whip) and a cowhide coaster is a welcome home to a cold beer.

3. Add details -- A bandanna makes an appropriate napkin, adorned with a cowboy book ornament. Add a flask (just in case your cowboy requests a shot of whiskey) and wildflowers -- these can be burlap wrapped pots, pitchers or even boots with a flower filled vase tucked inside. Include man-sized utensils. These Berghoff steak knives are fabulous!

1. Cover the table with a tablecloth and use a piece of lumber (cut to length for the runner). Rob dad's tackle box for an assortment of lures -- PLEASE, Please, please DO Not use lures if you have young kiddos at the table OR if you or a family member is so attracted to shiny objects that you just can't resist touching!! These puppies can hurt! I included some fun frogs and of course fishing poles. Birch bark candles add a nice touch.

A wire tier (the large bottom tier to our French Wire Tiered Stand) becomes a charger. Add a few tools of choice -- Swiss Army Knife (essential) and a blue enamel tin coffee pot. Blue jean beer koozie and man-sized utensils.

3. Top the dinner plate with an enamel tin blue bowl and include a little fish (gummy fish work great).

4. Bonus points if you have a tabletop fire bowl. We don't -- but we do have this plug in make-believe fire that we used on my son's cub scout Christmas float. The boys sat around it singing carols while pretending to roast marshmallows. Very Cool!

The Old-Fashioned Gamer / Strategist Dad

Does your dad like to solve puzzles, and / or plot a strategic plan for world-domination (on a game board of course)? We really enjoy family game night -- and it typically doesn't involve any games that require batteries or electricity. Here is an fun table perfect for a gamer dad or family game night!

Dad's the Dealer, of course.

Game Enthusiast Layering Detail :::

1. Cover the table with a tablecloth followed by game boards placed at an angle. For a large table place several boards tip to tip as a runner down the table.

2. Add a round tray for a charger plate. I used the tray that is included in our Entertaining Bucket, flatware and assorted games -- I went with dominoes, cards (Crazy Eights), and puzzle games. Add a coaster for your drink -- don't want to mess up the game board now do we? Add a goblet, love our Salud Goblets.

3. Top the round tray with a Riverstone Tapas Tray and fill in the space between with assorted game pieces (in this case I used Monopoly houses, hotels and figures).

A Table Set for Dapper Dad the Business Man

You husband doesn't have to be a business tycoon or even voted best dressed from his class -- you know he is the most charming, dependable and certainly debonair man in the world. This is also a perfect table setting to display pictures of some of your families favorites fathers.

This is one of our favorite pictures of my dad whom we lost in 2010. He baked some pies to surprise my mom
and set the kitchen on fire in the process -- but he saved the pies!! His buddy took this picture.

Dapper Dad's Table Layering Detail :::

1. Cover the table with a tablecloth, in this case I used hounds tooth fabric. I created several table runners (that also double as bread basket liners) from my husband's old dress shirts that I cut up in an earlier post. Make a long table runner by buttoning up several together as shown. Use a newspaper as a place mat :) Let's hope the news is good that day.

Paper Airplanes made from Ledger Paper -- whose plane can soar the longest?

Shrinky-Dink glass charms.
I made these years ago with a caricature of every family member, young and old --
we use them all the time.
I promise to do a Tutorial on how to make these soon! Very fun part of our gatherings.

Incorporate family photos -- it stirs fond memories and fabulous conversation.
Your kids will appreciate (if not today, someday) that you made a point to tell
stories of your grandparents and great-grandparents to them.

Be sure to check out my earlier post on setting up a cocktail station & decorating your fireplace mantel in honor of Dad!

It's 5 o'clock somewhere!

Lastly . . . here are a few more ideas to keep the wheels rolling :::

• Movie Buff Dad :::
☼ Use Film Reels for charger plates. Available at most craft stores; but if you own, or have a neighbor who does . . . BORROW, she won't mind removing from her media room wall just for the day (in the name of dad).
☼ Print out some trivia related to Dad's favorite flicks! The kids will know he's the KING when he answers his one correctly! IMDB (Internet Movie Data Base) is a great resource.
☼ Have the table set with movie snacks -- popcorn, boxes of Junior Mints & Rasinettes for example. • Car Enthusiast Dad :::
☼ Use hubcaps for charger plates. License plates, road signs etc. are all perfect down the center of the table. Many are available at craft stores, but again, BORROW if at all possible. Does your son or nephew have Hot wheels? Borrow those too! Bonus points if they are scaled models of Dad's first car or dream car!
☼ Use black & white checkered napkins -- look where bandannas are sold before you buy fabric to make your own, chances are they are already available for $1 each.• Golfer Dad :::
☼ Pick up some artificial turf grass to use as a table runner. Try the garden supply or outdoor (carpet) section of Lowes or Home Depot. Add clubs, tees and golf balls down the runner. A few outdoor hurricanes for ambiance.
☼ Print out some famous golf courses (google them) to use as place mats. Bonus points if you can add notes of dad's score on a particular hole.
☼ Serve Arnold Palmers (half iced tea / half lemonade -- spiked or non-spiked).• Music Lover Dad :::
☼ Use Record Albums for chargers. PLEASE, please pick up used ones from thrift or used stores. We don't want Dad's favorite LPs to risk possible damage.
☼ Music sheets or album covers down the center of the table as a runner.
☼ Hang 45s from the chandelier from thread or fishing line.

I am sure you can come up with a few on your own, and I would LOVE to hear them!
Thank YOU so much for stopping in! I would love to hear from you, and I read each comment with enjoyment! Happy Father's Day!!

WoW Thanks Diane! It was fun pulling them together. Honestly it took me longer to write the post than it did to style and take all the photos! I'm so happy you stopped by!I hope you have a fabulous week -- Take Care ♥ Susie

Wow Susie - love this post - what amazing ideas for such a special day! You have a great eye for detail and excellent and fun taste too! THanks for visiting my blog today and leaving such sweet comments on my teen bedroom post (and following me too!). I coulnd't reply to your comment though because you are a "no Reply Blogger", which means that when you leave a comment on a blog that blogger can't reply back to it. It is easy to fix though in your profile settings, to change this. You can read a blog post about this at Turnstyle Vogue blog here: http://www.turnstylevogue.com/2012/02/replying-to-comments/Hope this helps! Heather :)

Hi Susie,I am so excited to meet someone from the Dallas area and thank you so much for stopping by to have tea and Fresh Strawberry Bread with me. I just love your blog and your awesome ideas for Fathers Day. Thanks for sharing and have a fabulous week end!Miz HelenA New Follower

Wow, I love all your ideas. The fishing table and tool tables are my favorite. It's easy to see how creative and talented you are to come up with all of these wonderful tablescapes. Thanks for sharing at Your Cozy Home Party because I'm sure you'll inspire a lot of people to create a wonderful table for any special occasion for a man.

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About Me

Thank you for visiting my HumbleNest. I'm thrilled you stopped by. I'm an avid decorator and painter. Whether it's trying a new color in my home or changing out small accents, I'm always doing something with my decor, and this blog allows me to share my passion for making homes beautiful!
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